A hair-raising spate of shark attacks on Long Island beaches has spurred New York State officials to commit to purchasing dozens of new surveillance drones.
The investment marks the latest effort by the state to soothe swimmers startled by a wave of beach closures and at least four confirmed shark bites across Fire Island and the Hamptons during the July 4 holiday week.
[ New York area beaches gear up for another ‘summer of sharks’ with more drones, Jet Ski patrols ]
Gov. Hochul’s office did not provide an exact number of new drones on Friday, but said $1 million in funding had been secured for significant acquisitions. The state added 10 high-flying drones to its shark spying fleet going into the summer, more than doubling the size of its arsenal.
“These new drones will increase the shark monitoring capacity of local governments across Long Island and New York City, ensuring local beaches are safe for all beachgoers,” Hochul said in a Friday statement.
On Independence Day, two shark bites were reported on Fire Island, and another was confirmed in the Town of Southampton, according to Long Island cops. A day earlier, officials reported one confirmed shark bite and one possible shark bite on Fire Island.
It was not clear what types of sharks were involved in the encounters.
New York has not had a fatal shark bite in decades.
Last year, the state logged eight shark bites, meaning that New York accounted for 1-in-7 bites worldwide, according to a tally by the University of Florida.
Shark encounters were once an extreme rarity on New York beaches. But cleaner water and enormous schools of baitfish — food for sharks — have been drawing the predatory fish closer to shore, according to experts.
A range of sharks — including blue sharks, spinner sharks, sandbar sharks, hammerheads and more — trawl waters near New York beaches, but the fearsome great white sharks that have frightened beachgoers on Cape Cod have not appeared.
Increased surveillance may also be…
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